DiveTheGalapagos
Contributor
I was there first week of Sept. - 12 whale sharks at Darwin / 1 at Wolf. Thousands of hammerheads...even more than normal. Surface temps were warm: 27 C / 80.6 F on the surface at both Darwin and Wolf. I was shocked to see so many hammerheads in the shallows at that temp, but there they were. Great week! El Nino expected to worsen by end of the year, but for now, all is good.
The scientists from the Galapagos Whale Shark project were at Darwin. I invited them over to let us know what they were up to. Jonathan Green and Alex Hearn came onboard. It was quite interesting to learn even more about their project. It has always been amazing to me that no one has ever seen whale sharks breed or birth. Tracking from 2011-2012 was the first time anyone knew where they went. Theories they now have are even more interesting...wobbegong relatives who possibly calve in very deep waters. No one knows yet why the pregnant females always come to Darwin. Around 99% of the whale sharks at Darwin are pregnant females. We had one juvenile male. Made me realize the only males I have seen at Darwin are juveniles.
If you are going up and see their little boat, invite them onboard. They will be more than happy to give a presentation. Help with identification of whale sharks can also be done, with your photos, by sending your shots to the whale shark tracking project.
The scientists from the Galapagos Whale Shark project were at Darwin. I invited them over to let us know what they were up to. Jonathan Green and Alex Hearn came onboard. It was quite interesting to learn even more about their project. It has always been amazing to me that no one has ever seen whale sharks breed or birth. Tracking from 2011-2012 was the first time anyone knew where they went. Theories they now have are even more interesting...wobbegong relatives who possibly calve in very deep waters. No one knows yet why the pregnant females always come to Darwin. Around 99% of the whale sharks at Darwin are pregnant females. We had one juvenile male. Made me realize the only males I have seen at Darwin are juveniles.
If you are going up and see their little boat, invite them onboard. They will be more than happy to give a presentation. Help with identification of whale sharks can also be done, with your photos, by sending your shots to the whale shark tracking project.
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